NAPM extends solidarity to Anna Hazare's campaign against corruption

NAPM extends solidarity to Anna Hazare and others fasting, rooting out corporate corruption and demands nationwide consultation on important legislations
Shri Anna Hazare's indefinite fast and thousands others fasting across the country with a demand for enactment of an independent and stronger Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta enters third day today. NAPM has extended its support to the demand since beginning of the movement and from 5th April
organised rallies, morchas, solidarity fasts, public meetings and other such programmes in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Unao, Itawah, Muzaffarnagar, Delhi and many other places across the country. NAPM reiterate its support, and even as the movement gains steam, pledges to intensify our agitation.

Even as we struggle to demand for a stronger Lokpal and Lokayukta to root out the financial corruption and irregularities in different government schemes, NAPM would like to point out that there are far larger issues at stake for our movement.

1. The scale of corruption involved in Common Wealth Games and 2-G Spectrum has shocked the nation and UPA government has to answer for it and take action but at the same time we are concerned about the inaction from all the political parties on ecological corruption and the naked loot of our
natural resources rivers, forests, land, minerals etc.

2. Different political Parties across the political spectrum – illegal mining in Bellary, Karnataka (BJP Government); Vedanata mining, POSCO Steel plant, Tata Power and Steel Plants, Jindals and others in Orissa (BJD Government); mining and steel companies in Jharkhand (BJP led government), massive corruption in PDS and others in Assam (Congress led Government); Adarsh Housing Society, Lavasa, Shivalik Ventures and other builders corruption in Maharashtra (Congress led government) and othes are guilty of inaction and facilitating the process of irregularities, gross violation and miscarriage of
justice and violence against those struggling against these. None of these parties have shown political will in taking action against them.

3. The amount of black money stashed in the different foreign banks need to be brought in and those responsible for it punished but at the same time there is a need to stop the ongoing privatisation of various basic services - transport, water and electricity supply, health, food, PDS and many more.
Privatisation is encouraging the big Corporations like Tata, Reliance, Jindals, Pricewater House Coopers, Essar, Mittal's, Vedanata and many others to engage in the loot and go to any extent in buying undue favours from the politicians and government machinery. We strongly oppose privatisation of the basis services in the name of efficiency and better services. Government can't shun its responsibility towards the aam aadmi and provide them affordable and quality food, water, education, health, and transport. It can't just remain the privilege of 25% of the Indians - the middle and upper middle classes alone.

4. We as a nation has to ask for the accountability, transparency and the probity ar large in public life and not only in the government institutions. The corruption and violence unleashed by the State using its machinery including armed forces in parts of North East, Jammu and Kashmir and in Central India in the name of Operation Green Hunt has come to an end.

The dangerous trend has been the unholy nexus between the corporations, politicians and bureaucrats who have got together to facilitate the 'Great Indian Loot'. We are concerned by this and urge every one to target the systemic and institutionalised corruption. Jan Lokpal is the beginning alone and the movement will have to join hands with the millions fighting against the neo-liberal reforms which is facilitating a greater role and intervention for the Capital forces in the governance and thereby facilitating the corruption and undermining the democratic institutions of the country. A check on the elected government's is what we need, but the inclusion of the Private Companies acting in the name of larger public purpose within the fold of Accountability and Transparency has to be ensured too.

WE CAN NO MORE REMAIN MUTE SPECTATORS TO THIS LOOT OF OUR RESOURCES WHICH IS PERPETUATING THE IMPENDING CIVILISATIONAL CRISIS.

We exhort everyone to join the struggle of millions of working class people, adivasis, dalits, women, forest workers, fisherfolks in their quest for a dignified livelihood and justice. Our movement against corruption has to go beyond the visible symbols of corruption and reach out for a wider systemic transformation in the country today. Let us all join this struggle !

The process of Jan Lokpal Bill mandates that in general the legislative processes has to be much more democratic and government must come out in public and hold nation-wide consultations on important legislations apart from Jan Lokpal, such as Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, UID Bill and others.

Lastly, we would also like to reiterate that in this fight against corruption we have to choose our allies with care and take those along who have the moral authority to stand with the masses and have struggled for peace, justice and democracy in the society rather than pushing for a communal, casteist,
patriarchal and divisive agenda and facilitated ecological corruption.

WE SHALL FIGHT ! WE SHALL WIN !

Medha Patkar, Sandeep Pandey, Gabriele Dietrich, Sister Celia, Maj Gen (Retd.) S.G.Vombatkere (Retd), Thomas Kocherrey, Prafulla Samantara, Suniti S R, Roma, P Chennaiah, Dayamani Barla, Arundhati Dhuru, Ramakrishna Raju, Anand mazgaonkar, Rajendra Ravi, Bhupendera Singh Rawat, Geo Jose, Mukta Srivastava, Simpreet Singh, Pervin Jehangir, Kamayani Swami, Madhuresh Kumar